Newshour

Iranians tell the BBC's chief international correspondent, Lyse Doucet, they're unsure the ceasefire will hold. Meanwhile, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has warned Iran to choose wisely in negotiations with the United States. He said the US military was reloading and ready to go at the push of a button. We have a report from inside Tehran and ask about the prospects for talks between Lebanon and Israel.
Also in the programme: the South African politician, Julius Malema, has been sentenced to five years in prison for violating gun laws; and we find out how sperm whales mirror the language of humans.
(Photo: Lyse Doucet reporting from Tehran: Credit BBC)

The White House says indirect talks about the extension of a ceasefire between the US and Iran were productive and ongoing - hours after Pakistani mediators arrived in Tehran. Meanwhile, hundreds of ships remain stranded due to blockades in the Strait of Hormuz. We hear from a major shipping company.
Also on the programme: a Sudanese author reflects on 3 years of conflict; and we take a tour of a new exhibition celebrating 125 years of Black British music. (Photo: A handout photo made available by the Iranian Foreign Ministry Office shows Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (R) and Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir during a meeting in Tehran, Iran. Credit:HANDOUT/EPA/Shutterstock)

Three years since the start of Sudan's brutal civil war, international donors are meeting in Berlin to discuss ways to end the country's dire humanitarian crisis. We hear from a top UN aid official and an acclaimed Sudanese author.
Also in the programme: a new online search engine helps people to discover if their ancestors were members of the Nazi party; and we speak to the director of a new film The Wizard of the Kremlin.
(Photo: Internally Displaced Persons in Sudan. Credit: UNHCR/Ala Kheir)

China, the biggest buyer of Iranian oil, has described the American blockade as 'irresponsible' while the IMF is warning that the global economy could slip into recession because of the Iran war. Also on the programme: Israel and Lebanon have held direct talks for the first time in decades, to discuss the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah; and we hear about the return of a centuries‑old stone carving of the Zimbabwe bird - the country's sacred national emblem.
(A vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, Credit: Reuters)

Israeli and Lebanese officials to meet to discuss Israel's campaign against the Iran-backed group Hezbollah. We report from southern Lebanon.
Also in the programme: a BBC investigation into Greek police recruiting mercenaries to push migrants back into Turkey; the rise and fall of the Chinese property developer who was once Asia's richest person but has now pleaded guilty to fraud; conservation success in Uganda where numbers of mountain gorillas are rising; and could small talk be good for you?
(IMAGE: Israeli soldiers stand among destroyed buildings in southern Lebanon, near the Israel-Lebanon border, as seen from the Israeli side of the border in northern Israel, April 14, 2026 / CREDIT: REUTERS/Florion Goga)